Spring mattress-frame



R. BRADSHAW.

SPRNG MATTRESS FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. Io. IsIs.

'1,360, 173, Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

4 /6' I /m/enfof" I Hfs/faro( Bradshaw a subject of the King PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD BRADSHAW, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

SPRING MATTRESS-FRAME.

Specicatibn of Letterslatent. Patented NOV, 23,1920,

. Application led February 10. 1919. lSeria1 No. 275,997.

To all whom it mcg/concern:

Be it known that l, RICHARD BnADsHAw, of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring MattressFrames, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This inventionrelates to improvements in spring mattress frames, and the object of the invention is toprovide a mattress frame which will be absolutely rigid and will not twist or buckle.

A further object is to provide a mattress frame whiclrmay be very cheaply and easily manufactured. j

At the present time, metallic spring mat-` tress frames are largely in demand and owing to the small dimensions of the end rails, it has been found necessary to set the side rails considerably below the end rails, in order to keep them clear of the fabric. This has usually been accomplished by con# nectingthe end and side rails together by means of malleable cast brackets. Owing to the small dimensions of the members, considerable difficulty has been experienced in getting rigid joints, with the result that the frames twist considerably, that is to say, if a metallic mattress frame is laid on the Hoor, one corner may be lifted a considerlable distance before any of the other three corners leave the floor. In some cases, this may be as much as twelve or fifteen or more inches. This inherent weakness of the frame subjects it to great stresses in handling, which it is not designed to withstand and which result in its early destruction.

According to the present invention, the connecting brackets are entirely eliminated and` additional braces are provided, which so stiffen the frame that it becomes absolutely rigid and when subjected to the test mentioned above will not yield in any one corner more than a fraction of an inch.`

According to this invention, the side rails of the frame are tubular and are `offset ad jacent the ends, as clearly shown, so as to bring the central portion of the side rails ventirely out of the plane of the end rail.

Cross braces of tube or rod are connected between the side rails, preferably by means of chilled castings, which may also be used to support the entire frame upon the bedstead, thus enabling the side rails to act in i a restricted manner into which the ends `of the p as semi-elliptic springs when the" bottom fabric is tensioned by weight-placed on it. The side rails are se` cured directly` to the end rails, thusfacili* tating and cheapening the construction.

In the drawings which illustrate the inventiong Figure 1 .is a perspectiveview `ofthe frame. i

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectionalk view illustrating one method of attaching theside and end rails.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, illus! trating another method of attachment.

Fig. 41s another sectional `View illustrat` ing the "attachment of the side rails and cross braces.

p Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the end rails of a spring mattress frame, which are preferably of angle section, and 12 the longitudinal or side rails of the frame, which are preferably tubular. The side rails are offset adjacent their ends, as clearly shown at 13, so as to bring the ends in to line some distance out of the line of the central portion. The side and end rails are connected preferably by means of cups 14 secured to the end rails, side rails fit., These cups may be secured to the end rails in any suitable manner, such as by a rivet 15 shown in Fig. 2 or an electric weld 16 shown in Fig. 3. It is obvious that if the head of the rivet 15 is enlarged and fits snugly within the side rail, the cup 14 may be dispensed with. Cross braces 17 are located between the side rails at approxi mately the ends of the straight central portions, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It will be noted that these cross braces are some distance from the end rails and are in an entirely different horizontal plane. The cross braces are preferably connected to the end rails by chilled castings 18 in the manner well `known to manufacturers of metal beds.

These castings 18 may each be provided with an outwardly projecting lug 19, which will serve to support the frame upon a bedstead.

`It will thus be seen that the support of the different plane from the end rails 11 and the ot'setting of the side rails to connect all toiframes heretofore constructed have only length and breadth'. The fact that the side rails are ordinarily located in a plane below the end rails doesv not give depth or thickness tothe structure, `Jor thereason that Y there is no cross connection at the lower level and the offsetting therefore serves merely to give greater rflexibility to the structure.

When the frameV is in use, it is supported vat points remote romthe ends, thusV leaving j a certain'length of the side rails -between the points of support and the end rails, which Aportionsof 'the side rails will naturally flex slightlyfwhen the end rails tend to approach one another by reason of a load on the bottom fabric. 'Thisspring or yield of the side rails has no more destructive influence on the frame than the lexingof a semi-elliptic spring, whereas the same tendency et the end rails to approach in a frame built up by means of brackets has a very destructive effect. lt will also be noticed that the cross braces 1T render the side rails mutually supporting against side sway, whereas in the ordinary construction there is no such support.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is A mattress fra-nie comprising end niembers, cup-shaped socket members having the bottom4 walls thereof secured to said end members, side members of uniform cross seetion from end to end o'lset a short distance 'from the ends thereof to provide alined end portions disposed in a diiierent plane vfrom the central portion and extending inte said sockets to connect the end members together, and transverse members rigidly connecting the side members between the offsets thereof.

ln witness whereof, l have hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD BRAD SH AW. 

